Labeling-machine.



No. 761,080. PA'IBNTBD MAY 31, 1904. P. H. KNAPP 8: U. W. BLAGKSTONELLABELING MACHINE. 'APPLIOATION FILED MAY 12, 1900.

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UNITED STATES.

Patented May 31, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FRED H. KNAPP AND CLARENCE W. BLACKSTONE, OF CHICAGO,

' ILLINOIS.

LABELING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 761,080, dated May 31,1904.

Application filed May 12, I900.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FRED H. KNAPP and CLARENCE W. BLACKSTONE, citizensof the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook, Stateof Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLabeling-Machines; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to can-labeling machines; and it consists in theconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully set forth, andpointed out particularly in the claims.

The object of the invention is to produce a machine of the characterdescribed in which the arrangement is such as to provide for applyingpaste to the lap end of the label as the can passes through the machine,so that said lap end will be firmly pasted down when the operation ofapplying the label to the can has been completed; to provide for spacingthe cans upon their entrance 'into the machine, so

as to prevent them from crowding against one another in their passagetherethrough and interfere with the operation of labeling; to providefor feeding the can by gravity or momentum over a portion of thelabel-receptacle to obviate the buckling of the labels therein inadvance of the can, and to provide for adjusting the lap-pasting deviceso as to insure a perfect operation thereof with labels of vari-' ouslengths.

The object of the invention is attained by themechanism illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of amachineembodying this invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of a portion ofthe runway and label-receptacle, showing the vibratory plate crossingthe label-receptacle, which serves to form a loop in the labels as theywind onto the cans, and thereby cause the pasted surface of the can toencounter the lap end of the label and apply Serial No. 16,434- (Nomodel.)

paste thereto as the can passes through the machine. Fig. 3 is alongitudinal section through the label-receptacle and can-conveyingmeans as on line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a like view showing a canpassing through the machine with a label partially attached thereto anda loop formed in said label by the oscillatory plate, whereby the labelis taken up in length sufliciently to bring its lap end into contactwith the paste previously deposited upon the can. Fig. 5 is a plan viewin detail of the spacing device located at the feed end of the machine,whereby the cans are so spaced as to prevent more than one can fromoccupying the label-receptacle at a time.

Referring to the characters of reference, 1 designates the frame of themachine, which may be of any suitable construction. Supported in themachine is a can-runway 2, having a feeding-chute 3 communicatingtherewith. Over the can-runway and parallel therewith are travelingbelts 4:, which serve to convey the cans through the machine, saidconveying-belts being driven through a crank 5 or any other suitablesource of power connected by gear-wheels 6 and 7 with the shaft of thepulleys carrying said belts.

Located in the can-runway and forming a portion thereof is alabelreceptacle 8, adapted to contain the labels, which are applied tothe can as they pass through the machine, and having avertically-movable bottom 9, upon which said labels rest and by means ofwhich they are carried upward to the cans as fast as they are consumedby the operation of labeling. The bottom of the label-receptacle israised through the medium of a rack-bar 10, attached thereto and engagedby the toothed head 11 of the weighted lever 12, through the medium ofwhich an upward" pressure is exerted to hold the labels against thedetainingknives 13, which project into said receptacle from oppositesides and maintain the uppermost label therein on a of the can. At thesame time said knives permit the cans as they pass in succession throughthe machine to pick up the uppermost label in the receptacle by contactof the pasted surface of the can therewith and roll the label on planewith the runway the can in a manner well understood in the art, saidknives being slightly actuated to assist in cutting through the labelsby means of the angle-levers 14, which are attached to the shafts ofsaid knives and extend into the path of the rolling cans, whereby adepression of said levers by contact with the cans imparts a slightoscillation to the knives. A spring 15 serves to raise the levers 14after being depressed by the passage of the can thereover.

In the art of labeling cans it is essential that paste be applied to theextreme lap end of the label in order that said lap end may be firmlypasted down when the operation of labeling has been completed. In thismachine the lap end of the label is pasted by causing it to come incontact with the paste, which is deposited upon a portion only of thesurface of the can and which serves to pick up the initial end of thelabel, as well as to paste the lap end thereof. The paste is applied tothe surface of the can by means of a roller 16, (see Fig. 1,) journaledin a paste box or receptacle 17 and extending above the plane of thecan-runway, soas to bring each can into. contact therewith as it passesthrough the machine. The paste-roller is so positioned with respect tothe label-receptacle as to cause the pasted surface on the can toencounter the forward end of the top label in the receptacle as the canis conveyed through the machine. The paste employed is sufficientlyadhesive to pick up said labeLcausing it to Wind onto the can as the canrolls along. The initial end of the label does not cover the entireportion of the pasted surface on the can, but leaves part of said pastedsurface exposed for the purpose of applying paste to the lap end of thelabel when brought into contact with said exposed pasted surface. Itwill be understood that the length of the label is greater than thecircumference of the can and that. if the label were simply rolled .uponthe can its lap end would receive no paste, for the reason that it wouldover-reach the pasted surface. To bring the lap end of the label intocontact with the pasted surface of the can as the can passes through themachine, and thereby apply paste to said lap end, so asto cause it tofirmly adhere, a transverse plate 18 is employed which crosses thelabelreceptacle transversely. This plate is fiat and lies upon thesurface of the uppermost label, so that the can in passing through themachine rolls over said plate, which becomes interposed between thelabel and can and makes a sufficient loop inthe label,.as shown at 19 inFig. 4, to compensate for the difference between the length of the labeland the diameter of the can and cause the pasted surface 20 of the cantoimpinge upon the lap.

end of the label as the can passes from the label-receptacle, therebyapplying paste thereto and enabling the lap end of the label to bethoroughly pasted down as the can continues its course through themachine. The plate 18 is mounted upon rearwardly-extending arms 21,which are provided with laterallyextending ends 22, suitably journaledand environed by the coiled spring 23, whose tension is exerted tonormally hold said plate upon the surface of the labels. By pivoting thearms of said plate in the manner described said plate is allowed toswing upwardly as the label draws from under it and prevent a possibletearing of the label and the offering of any undue resistance to thepassage of the can through the machine, said springs returning saidplate to its normal position after the passage of each succeeding can.

In referring to Figs. 1, 3, and 1, it will be seen that theconveyer-belt 4: is raised, as at 24:, over the forward end of thelabel-receptacle and the plate 18, the purpose of which is to permit thecan to roll by gravity or momentum from the forward end of thelabelreceptacle onto the plate 18. The reason for this arrangement isthat the can rolls directly onto the labels and if forced downward withpressure would cause the labels to buckle in advance of the rolling canand move their upper ends downward from the upper end of saidreceptacle, thereby displacing them in the receptacle and preventingtheir proper application to the can.

To more perfectly illustrate the operation of the swinging plate 18 andto describe its function, we will explain more fully the passage of thecan across the label-receptacle. As the can enters the label-receptacle,as shown in Fig. 3, its position is such that the pasted surface 20thereon impinges upon the end of the label and causes the label toadhere thereto. Upon the entrance of the can into the receptacle itpasses free from theconveyingbelt t and rolls by gravity and its ownmomentum across said receptacle and winds the label thereon. As the canrolls onto the plate 18 the label draws taut from the upper edge of saidplate, thereby momentarily arresting the rotation of the can and causingits lower side to slide forward on said plate, thereby forminga loop 19in the label by reason of said plate occupying the space between thelabel and can. This sliding. movement of the can while the label is heldby said plate carries the can along such distance asto present itsexposed pasted surface 20 in position toencounter the lap end of thelabel and at the same time brings said can again into contact with theconveyer-belt, whensaid can is again forcibly rotated and is caused todraw upon the label with sufficient force to swing the plate 18 upwardagainst the action of the springs 23 and, carry the pasted surface ofthe can onto the lap end of the label. As the can rolls from the end ofthe label it is released, when the spring 23 will carry the plate 18downward onto the surface of the succeeding label, permitting the can topass onward through the machine and roll the label there- ITO on, whoselap end is thereby firmly pasted down and the operation of attaching thelabel is completed. It will be understood that the width of the plate 18determines the size of 26, which extend onto the face of the part 18 andare adjustably attached there by screwbolts 27, which pass through theslots of said ears and into the part 18, whereby by loosen ing saidbolts the movable part 18 of said plate may be adjusted laterally withrespect to the part 25, so as to increase or decrease the width of saidplate. As the cans (indicated by dotted lines 28) leave the runway andenter upon the label-receptacle they pass from the guiding-rails 29 ofsaid way and are without anything to direct their course in theirpassage over the label-receptacle excepting the flanged guide-plate 30,mounted upon the upper face of the plate 18, which is located in thepath of the cans and which serves to right the cans as they pass betweenthem and cause said cans to pass over the plate parallel therewith,thereby insuring the winding of the labels straight upon the can. Toprevent the crowding of the cans in their passage through the machine,so as to interfere with the operation of the swinging plate 18, saidcans are spaced upon their entrance into the machine by means of aspacing device mounted on the chute 3. This device consists of arectangular frame 31, which describes a parallelogram and is pivoted atits ends to uprights 32 and adapted to rock upon said uprights. Aconnectingrod 33 is pivoted to one side of said frame at one end, andits opposite end is pivoted to a lever 34, which extends across theshaft 35 of one set of the feeding-pulleys and is pivoted at its rearend in the frame, as at 36. The lever 34 stands in the path of the cam(shown by dotted lines 37 in Fig. 1) mounted on the shaft 35 and whichat each revolution of said shaft engages said lever and raises the upperend thereof, thereby tilting or rocking the rectangular frame 31. As theinner side of said frame is raised the outer or upper side is depressed,as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, so that'the can lying within saidframe is released and permitted to pass into the machine, while the nextsucceeding can in the chute'3 is held from entering the machine untilthe succeeding operation of said tilting frame, whereby the cans areregularly spaced and fed into the machine at such intervals as toprevent them from interfering with one another in their passagetherethrough.

Having thus fully set forth this invention, what we claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a can-labeling machine, the combination of the can-runway, andmeans for applying paste to the can, of a label-receptacle in saidrunway, a flat plate crossing the labelreceptacle from side to side andpositioned to become interposed between the label and can, guide-flangeson said plate to direct the can in its passage thereacross, said platebeing of a width to support and maintain the can thereon and to form aloop when the label is wrapped around it of such length as to bring thelap end of the label into contact with the paste on the can.

2. In a can labeling machine, the combination with the can -runway andcan -pasting means, of a label-receptacle, amovable transverse platecrossing said receptacle in a manner to become interposed between thecan and label as the label is rolled onto the can, said plate being ofsuchwidth as to support and maintain the can and composed of two opposedparts adjustable laterally, one of said parts having guide-flanges whichdirect the can.

3. In a labeling-machine, the combination with the can-runway and thepasting device, of a label-receptacle in said runway, a thin platecrossing the label-receptacle and lying upon the uppermost label, saidplate being of a width to support and maintain the can and form a partof the can-runway having guideflanges upon its upper face adapted todirect the can in its course thereacross.

In testimony whereof we sign this specification in the presence of twowitnesses.

FRED H.'KNAPP. CLARENCE W. BLACKSTONE.

Witnesses:

T. W. LORD, H. MCMULLEN.

